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Well, I don't love them.

The first planeswalker had several balance issues and that's a simple reason why they are so successful. Another reason is that "designing cards on your own" seems to attract a certain player type. The most planeswalker I've seen don't feel flavorful to me. They are just a bunch of effects added together on a single card.... and those planeswalker who can negate at least on threat on the table are the one that see competetive play.

If I look at Jace Beleren . It combines card draw, another card draw and even more.... card dr-- ... I mean mill!

Does this create a flavor in your opinion? - That's a real question, because I don't get it.

The same is true for Chandra, Liliana and co.

Did Liliana of the Dark Realms wade through swamps, inhaling too much of the rotting smell? To me, it's just a random "what do I like to see in my deck" and combine it on a single card.

And please, please stop printing the Xth version of Jace. It feels so silly in my opinion. Identification and stereotyping is ok, but this.....

Liliana of the Dark Realms is a very bad example. That was a flavor mistake--the card has nothing to do with her established character, and Brady Dommermuth has acknowledged that in the future they need to portray the characters more consistently.

Cheza, have you read any of the novels? 

Feb 22, 2013 -- 10:49PM, zammm wrote:

Feb 22, 2013 -- 5:35PM, Cheza wrote:

Let planeswalker be visible on non-planeswalker cards, let those card tell the story and create a new villain every other set.

Planeswalkers are visible on non-planeswalker cards on occasion--the most recent appearances are Ral Zarek and Vraska the Unseen appearing in Gatecrash on Homing Lightning and Killing Glare , respectively.

And they've tried letting the cards tell the story. For over four years, the events of the Weatherlight saga were conveyed on the cards fairly directly--in some cases it was possible to lay out the cards to depict the story plot point by plot point. But cards aren't a very good storytelling medium, because you can't control what order players see them in. So R&D decided to let the cards set the stage, as is their strength, and tell the actual story elsewhere.

In fairness, they seem to be experimenting in slight ways with this model again, but it's probably more comparable to the broad storytelling of Mirage and Visions and even Weatherlight than Tempest or Masques.

Well, they do still do that to a degree.

Nicol Bolas' return was hinted at in Shards of Alara .
Ral Zarek was spoiled over two years before he was printed in Duels of the Planeswalkers, and then had a variety of cameo apperances before his actual card showed up in Dragon's Maze.  

I do agree that from a meta-narrative standpoint, Planeswalker cards are a bit more common than I personally care for, but Magic is first and foremost a game that needs to be profitable.
Planeswalkers are profitable, and as long as they continue to be, they will continue to see print.  

Feb 22, 2013 -- 7:42PM, KeeperofManyNames wrote:

Liliana of the Dark Realms is a very bad example. That was a flavor mistake--the card has nothing to do with her established character, and Brady Dommermuth has acknowledged that in the future they need to portray the characters more consistently.

Cheza, have you read any of the novels? 

Yes.

Nonetheless, most planeswalker aren't that great. I agree with KeiSouthCroix. I also miss the days of Urza, etc.. F.e. I'm glad that she never printed a Xantcha, Serra or Urza himself. I found it much more flavorful to see the cards reflecting the story.

@ zammm:
I know that they made hints and even created cards like Chandra's Phoenix . But that's not what I wish they would do. Mmmh... hard to explain. The best might be to compare it with the planes. I like it that these cards form a seperate deck... That's why I'm still convinced that - at least for me - planeswalker were better printed similar to planes, but as some sort of leveler that I can CONJURE to the battlefield.